1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to automotive toys, particularly a self propelled doll that can be remotely activated with a beam of light.
2. Description of Related Art
In an effort to make toys appear more life-like many products have been developed and marketed that allow a child to remotely control the movement of the toy.
One such doll included a toy sold by Mattel, Inc. under the tradename FASHION PHOTO BARBIE. This toy consisted of a Barbie doll that could be mounted on a pedestal, such that a child could twist and move the doll with a remote tethered wound spring cord, typically referred to as a Bowden cable. The doll was moved so that the child could take pictures of "Barbie" in different poses. Although the child could remotely move the doll, the motion of the doll was mechanical in appearance and limited to a few positions. The remoteness of the operator was limited by the length of the cord which had to be operated so that the movement of the doll had to be performed separately from the taking of the pictures.
Wonderama Enterprises, Inc. marketed a doll under the tradename POSIN PICTURE PERFECT which included a doll that is attached to the stand of a revolving pedestal. Within the pedestal is a light sensor connected to a motor, that would rotate the stand and doll when light was directed toward the sensor. The pedestal also had a power supply that would supply current to bimetallic springs located within the body of the doll. The springs are subsequently heated and cooled in accordance with the pattern of a Mylar disc that is inserted into the pedestal. The springs cause the arms and head of the doll to move as the doll is rotating around the pedestal. The pedestal is quite large and bulky, making the toy impractical to carry around as children so often do. To vary the movement of the doll, a new Mylar disc would have to be inserted into the pedestal. The replacement of the Mylar disc required a partial disassembly of the pedestal, which is time consuming and typically beyond the sophistication of many children. Additionally, the doll would have to be attached to the stand, which created a stiff mechanical like doll movement and appearance.
Mattel, Inc. sold another toy under the tradename BRAVE STARR. This toy had a spring-loaded arm, leg or accessory that would be released from the character by a spring when the figure, also attached to a base, received a light beam signal. Mattel, Inc. also marketed a line of small cars under the tradename LIGHT SPEEDERS, which raced around a track while the child shined a light beam on them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,733 issued to Yokoi discloses as a robot that moves in accordance with the intensity of light, that is projected by a screen controlled by an operator through a joystick. The movement of the robot requires operation by the user, wherein any positioning of the toy must be induced by the operator.
U.S Pat. No. 3,274,729 issued to C. Refabert; U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,491 issued to Koike; U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,602 issued to Rose; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,659,919 and 4,675,519 issued to Price all disclose a doll that emits sound when a beam of light is directed toward the doll.
What is desired is an automotive doll that can be activated by a beam of light so that various parts of the doll move relative to each other. It is also desirable to have such a doll that can move without the attachment or operation of another device by the user, and to have motion that is random and human like in appearance.